Before a ball was kicked, the nicknames for this match were rampant. A biscotto was one – an Italian classic implying something that has to be baked twice; one cooperating with the other. Or maybe you preferred the “Disgrace of Kansas City”, recalling the “Disgrace of Gijón”, a callback to the 1982 World Cup where West Germany settled for a 1-0 win over Austria in a result that qualified both teams for the knockout round while eliminating Algeria.

But what unfolded here was something else altogether. A new classic of the genre. Call it the “Missouri Compromise”. On a steamy night in the American midwest, Algeria and Austria battled gamely, showing heart and desire for most of the match en route to a back-and-forth 3-3 draw that qualified both teams for the knockout round. It came at the expense of Iran, whose brief jubilation at Riyad Mahrez’s goal in the third minute of added time was abruptly ended by a Sasa Kalajdzic header with practically the last action of the match.

For Austria, this marks the first time they have qualified for the second round of a World Cup since that 1982 tournament. Algeria, meanwhile, return to the knockout stage, having progressed out of the group stage in their last World Cup appearance in 2014.

The stakes for this match were increasingly in question as the third round of group games unfolded, each result making it increasingly obvious that one of the potential downsides of Fifa’s expansion to 48 teams would come to the fore. Because the best eight third-place teams across all groups would be allowed admission to a 32-team knockout round, the potential for a situation like this – where both teams would know going in that a draw would benefit them both – always existed. There were fears for the worst – that the teams might come out for a casual kickabout instead of a high-intensity World Cup match.

If that is indeed what happened, the players did a pretty good job of hiding it through the first two-thirds of the match, especially given that this was a characteristically sticky night in Kansas City. The late kick-off, at 9pm local time, did little to quell the thick humidity even as the sun fully receded. There were occasional, much welcome breezes through the stands, but they were not occasional enough to improve a swamp-like atmosphere.

From the beginning, it was Algeria who looked like they were running in muck. The Desert Warriors committed numerous silly giveaways, with a disjointed attack never seriously threatening. That went on to hurt them as Austria struck first in the 28th minute through Marko Arnautovic. David Alaba’s pinpoint lofted service from the back found the striker closing down on Algeria goalkeeper Oussama Benbot. The 37-year-old took an awkward touch, then a brilliant one with his tow to nudge the ball past Benbot and into the back of the net.

For the first of what would become many times in a back-and-forth affair, Austria seemed content with their lead and dropped back, seemingly inviting Algeria to counter. But while they may have foreseen that pressure would come, they could not have predicted the wacky nature of the equaliser.

Again, a long ball from the back set up the chance, but this one surprisingly caromed off the corner flag to stay in play, with Austria’s Phillipp Mwene tussling with Mahrez, eventually dragging him down by his ankles in a tackle straight out of the NFL games that usually populate this grand old coliseum. The referee, in perhaps the best call of the night, waved play on, allowing right back Rafik Belghali to pounce on the loose ball, take a deflected shot, then collect the rebound, work inside the box, and finish with power into the roof of the net at the near post.

But once again, the side that scored sat back, and the side behind took advantage. In the 55th minute, Austria found another breakthrough from a long ball, this time to Konrad Laimer on the right flank. The Bayern Munich man made easy work of his defender at midfield and drove toward the Algerian penalty area. His cutback found Marcel Sabitzer alone at the far post, and he finished easily.

The pattern repeated, with Austria seeming to sink just as desperation drove Algeria forward. A period of pressure and possession followed, capped off by Mahrez’s 60th-minute equaliser. The goal arrived in eerily similar fashion as Sabitzer’s – this time, with Algeria’s Houssem Aouar providing the killer run and cutback for a finish, easily applied past a stranded goalkeeper.

The teams entered the second-half hydration break having produced four goals between them to entertain the sellout crowd of 69,045 who packed Kansas City Stadium. The majority cheered for Algeria – appropriate given the close connection the team has forged with their training home of nearby Lawrence, Kansas.

From there, for the first time, the first semblance of collusion began to crop up. Sideways passes followed sideways passes. The fans did the wave, and whistled at the players for their complacency. It seemed as if a truce had been agreed.

But then, there was Mahrez again. The 35-year-old legend of his country popped up to finish smartly and send the majority Algerian support into hysterics.

And then, there was Kalajdzic. The 28-year-old Wolves striker had only just come on for Mwene the minute before, but rose to meet a desperation cross over the line – satisfying his team, their fans, and both sides on the pitch that live to see another day.